Control means for motor driven skates



' May 26, 1942.

'0. F. RUSSELL 2,284,344

CONTROL' MEAP IS FOR MOTOR DRIVEN fiKATES Filed March 19, 194i 2Sheets-Sheet 1 7 (L O I Inventor Attorney ay 1942- -o. F. RUSSELL2,234,344

' comm. MEANS FOR MOTOR muvzu gums Filed March 19, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 22:; I /2 J a Q o W 3; 21' i Inventor 0n, 7. fuss? By M o E ll AttorneyPatented May 26, 1942 CONTROL MEANS FOR'MOTOR DRIVEN- SKATES Oren F.Russell, Palmer, Wash- Application March 19, 1941, Serial No. 384,219

' 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in motordriven skates and has for its primary object to provide control meansfor the motor in which said control means embodies levers attached to abelt secured to the waist of a person andproviding flexible cablesleading from the levers to the several mechanisms of the motor, such: asthe switch, timer, clutch and gear shift, for controllingthe operationof the motor.

A further object is to provide an attachment of this character of simpleand practical construction, which is efficient and reliable inperformance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise welladapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the' details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which Figure 1 is afront elevational view showing the belt and control levers attachedthereto,

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view showing the cables leading along thelegs of a person to the motors at the rear ends of the skates,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the housing of the controllever of the timer and clutch devices, 7

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the housing for the gear shiftcontrol lever,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view through the housing for the switchcontrol lever,

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on a line6-6 of Figure 5, and

Figure '7 is a vertical sectional view through the housingof the controllever of the gear shift mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose ofillustration I have disclosed a preferred form of the invention, thenumeral 5 designates a motor driven ice skate, of which one is adaptedfor attaching to each foot of a wearer and supported on the rear end ofeach skate is a motor 6, preferably in the form of an internalcombustion engine.

Secured around the waist of the wearer is a belt 1 to the front side ofwhich are secured a plurality of vertical tubes designated at 8, 9, l0and II, each of the tubes or housings having ears l2 projecting fromopposite sides thereof for securing to the belt.

The housing 8 is provided adjacent its upper end with a vertical slot l3through which a handle or lever l4 projects forwardly of the housing, 7

the inner end of the leverbeing attached to a head 15 slidably mountedin the housing and to the lower end of which is attached a pair offlexible wires l6 and I1, leading to the switches (not shown) of therespective motors 6.

The housings 9- and I0 are'of identical construction and contain thecontrol mechanism shown in detail in Figure 3 of the drawings. Eachmechanism includesagear l8 journalled on a pin l9 extending transverselyat an intermediate portion of the housing and at diametrically oppositesides of the gear I8 are racks 20 and 2|, the rack 20 being positionedat the front of the housing immediately behind the vertically extendingslot 22 formed adjacent the upper end thereof, while the rack 2| ispositioned at the rear of the housing, both of the racks beingoperatively engaged with the gear as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

A lever 23 projects from the upper end of the rack 20 outwardly throughthe slot 22 and a dog 24 is pivoted as at 25 to the upper portion of therack 20 for engaging the vertically spaced notches 26 formed in theouter surface of the housing adjacent'the slot 22. A coil spring 21positioned under the lever 23 engages the dog 24 for yieldably urgingthe same in engagement with the notches. To the lower end of the rack 20is attached a pair of flexible cables 28 and to the lower end of therack 2i is attached a similar pair of cables 29.

The cables 28 and 29 of the housing 9 extend to the timing mechanism(not shown) of the respective engines 6 whereas the cables of thehousing I0 extend to the clutch mechanism (not shown) also forming partof the control mechanism of the engine. It will be apparent that uponthe movement of the rack 20 in one direction that the rack 2| willbe'moved in an opposite direction to thus control the opposite movementof the timer and clutch mechanisms in a manner as will be apparent. I

The housing II is provided with a vertically extending slot 30 adjacentits upper end through which projects the lever 3| which is formed on a.

head 32 slidably mounted in the housing. Also projecting outwardlythrough the slot 30 is a dog 33 which is pivoted as at 34 to the head,the dog being adapted for engaging the vertically spaced notches 35formed on the outer surface of the housing adjacent the notch. A coilspring 36 is positioned between the lever 3| and the dog 33 to yieldablyurge the dog into engaged position.

A pair of flexible cables 31 are attached to the lower end of the head32 and extend downwardly through the lower end of the housing forconnection with the gear shift mechanism, (not shown) of each of theengines 6.

It will be understood that the switch, timing mechanism, clutch and gearshift mechanisms of the engine 6 are of conventional construction andadapted to be, controlled by the flexible cables leading from therespective levers for opening and closing the switch, advancing orretarding the timer, for moving the clutch into and out of engagementand also for shifting the gears into high or low speed. In view of thefact that such mechanisms are well known in the art it is not deemednecessary to include a detailed dis closure of the same in the presentapplication.

The several sets of cables leading from the' levers of the controldevices may be slidably mounted through guides 38 attached to the pantslegs 39 of the wearer at the inner side thereof,

end of the housing for attaching to a part of the motor, and a manuallyactuated device attached to the member and projecting from the slot inthe housing, said slot and manually operated device retaining the memberagainst removal from the housing.

2. A control attachment for motor driven skates comprising a beltadapted for attaching to a person, a tubular housing attached to thebelt, a member slidably mounted in the housing, cables attached to themember and extending from the housing for attaching to a part of themotor, said housing having a slot therein, a

manually actuated device attached to the member and projecting outwardlythrough the slot l and means carried by the manually actuated device andengageable with the housing to secure themernber in a predeterminedposition, said slot and manually actuated device retaining the memberagainst removal from the housing.

,3. A- control attachment for motor driven skates, comprising a beltadapted for attaching to a person, a housing attached to the belt, agear journalled in the housing, a pair of racks at diametricallyopposite sides of the gear and engaged therewith for opposite movementofthe racks, cables attached to each rack and extending vfrom thehousing for attaching to apart of e the motor and a manipulating leverattached to one of the racks for oppositely actuating the cables. 7

' A. a OREN F. RUSSELL.

